Head Cold Season

It can't be winter without a nasty head cold, right?? Today I wanted to post (for my November post) about the common cold and one over-the-counter method that works great for me! Before going any further, whenever one person in our family gets sick, I like to use "on guard" essential oil on the bottoms of everyone else's feet. With essential oils, I really have noticed that the sicknesses do not spread as much within the family as they used to.

The common cold is a virus, meaning that there is no antibiotic that will take it away. When you or your kids get coughs and colds, there is very little that a doctor can do, so I try to stay away from the doctor's office as much as possible (unless there is a fever involved, which Michelle talked about last post).

When I get colds, I tend to have a lot of mucous and gunk build-up in the sinuses right around my nose and under my eyes. That is why this NeilMed Sinus Rinse is AMAZING! You fill up the bottle with warm water, add a packet of saline solution powder (it is simply sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate mixed together) and lean over your sink while slowly squeezing the solution in one nostril. It comes out the other nostril, and usually a whole bunch of gunk comes out with it. :) I know, TMI! The thing I love about this is that it gets out so much more junk than what normally comes out if I just blow into a kleenex.

When you get colds, it is super important to get the junk OUT! If it has no way out, then it can turn into a nasty sinus infection, which is much worse than the common cold and usually does require antibiotics to go away.

Also, I am sure all of you use Vick's Vapo Rub on your kids. I seriously love this stuff! I put it on the bottoms of their feet if they are coughing or congested and it helps them sleep so much better. What other remedies do you have for the common cold?